Among the top ten active 'postcrossers' in India, as many as seven are from Mangaluru.

Chief Postmaster General, Karnataka Circle, Dr Charles Lobo, a postcrosser himself, says postcrossers in Mangaluru are also passionate philatelists and thus it is no surprise that many among the top 10 postcrossers are from Mangaluru.
Mansoor Bolar, an employee of the city-based private shipping company, is ranked second among the active postcrossers in India (the first being Mukund Chiplunkar from Pune).

Who are Postcrossers?

According to Mansoor, postcrossers are members who have registered with www.postcrossing.com - an online project that allows you to send postcards and receive postcards (not electronic postcards) from random people all over the world. 'For each postcard you send, you will receive one back from a random postcrosser from somewhere in the world,' informs entrepreneur Sulakshana Prabhu, a postcrosser since 2009.

Mansoor had sent 3,980 postcards and received 3,950 post cards from all over the world. Udupi-based Ammunje Nagendra Nayak always sends postcards on the country's heritage spots, festivals and local traditions. 'Postcrossing.com has listed 19 curious facts that can be highlighted in a post card,' says Nayak. On receiving a postcard, the Postcard ID (with country code) should be registered on Postcrossing.com to ensure that sender receives a postcard.

Sulakshana Prabhu informed that postcrossers also have an option to set their account inactive. 'I did it during my pregnancy,' she said.

Benefits of postcrossing?

Nayak informs that one can learn about far away places, different cultures or even practice foreign languages. 'My collection of stamps and circle of friends has expanded,' says Manjunath Akkasali, a second year MBBS student in Srinivas Medical college in Mukka.

Postcrossers from Mangaluru, besides being trailblazers, are also initiating youth into the unique hobby. Rajyavardhan, a student of ninth standard in Kendriya Vidyalaya in Panambur, says with help of Mansoor he became a postcrosser and sent as many as seven cards a month ago.

'Soon, I will receive my first card,' he declares. For Abhilash Dixit, a new member from Bengaluru, the mailbox from now on will be a box of surprises.

Dailyhunt

Disclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: Deccan Herald